Seco Lounge, Plymouth, England

12-15, Mills Bakery, Royal William Yard, Plymouth, PL1 3RP
01752 229 375
http://www.thelounges.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/LO_Food_Menu_WINTER.pdf

Summary

Overall, the food is enjoyable although a little overpriced at times. The atmosphere is lovely and although it is member of a chain of bar/restaurants called 'the lounges', it has an air of individuality which makes the meal more pleasurable.

Food - 6/10

I ate:

Honey glazed 5-spice pork

Patatas gratinadas

Sweet corn fritters

Pan-fried haloumi, courgettes and peppers

Patatas bravas

Patatas with smoked garlic and wasabi aioli

Mozzarella stuffed arancini balls with pesto

Ultimately the tapas here is fairly average but, there are a couple of dishes that set this tapas slightly above bar. My favourite dish is the honey glazed pork; you receive a well-sized portion and the flavours are exciting and exotic. The other dishes however tend to be a lot blander and if you are to order the sweet corn fritters or the mozarella balls, you will most likely disappointed to find that you only receive three pieces, which can be an issue, if like me you are hoping to share. Another disappointment is the recent change from patatas gratinadas to patatas in wasabi; the wasabi sauce is very overpowering and you are unable to really taste the nice crunchy potatoes that lie beneath.  In spite of the small issues, the food is always warm, to good standard and i am always delighted to receive my ciabatta bread on the side, with which i usually ask for an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip.  There other food also appears to be of good standard.

Atmosphere - 8/10

The atmosphere here is delightful. Overall the whole Royal William Yard site is beautiful and on a summer's day i enjoy sitting outside, eating my food, overlooking the river. The inside is just as delightful with its tasteful decoration and large open space. I would however say that it sometimes gets cold and it is advisable to sit as far from the doors as possible.

Customer Service - 5/10

Average. Its an order at the bar service. People are usually friendly and adequately amusing. There is nothing special here, but there is nothing bad either.

Price - 6/10

For the tapas, you pay £8.95 for three dishes and a side of ciabatta, which is sufficent for a full meal. On a Tuesday however, a glass of wine will also be included in the price. Other meals such as burgers and paninis are priced a little bit steeply and although they are good the same could be found at most other pubs for a cheaper price. I would say that perhaps you are paying for location.

 

A Little Introduction

Just like most of the general population, I love food; not only that, I love good food and ideally good food at a good price.  Over the years, I have indulged in many a restaurant meal, from the budget late night snack to elaborate three course meals.  Before deciding on a restaurant I quite often browse through review after review in order to gauge the service and food quality I should expect.  Often however, I am disappointed by what I get; maybe I am just too picky or maybe, just maybe some restaurants don't deserve the ratings they have been given.  Given my critical nature, I decided to put my pickiness to good use by creating this page, with the aim of reviewing every restaurant I go to, everywhere in the world.

To make things a little easier, I have decided on four categories which I will rate:

1 - Food - obviously one of the most important aspects of eating out is food.  We all want to know where we can find a great meal, whether it be a hearty pub lunch or a tasty gourmet surprise. This category will generally be rated on tastiness, portion size, ingredients, sides, basically anything relevant to to the actual food put in front of me.

2 - Atmosphere - atmosphere can make a meal: the music, the noise, the colours, the temperature, the layout.  I will try to convey exactly how each restaurant made me feel, on entering and as I was sat at my table.

3 - Customer Service - recently I have noticed that many people are surprised when they receive good service at a restaurant and also that many people will give a tip even when the service is bad; surely this should not be the case, surely the service should always be good and only when its bad should we be shocked.  I will mark this category based on the greeting, waiting times, and overall quality of the restaurant service, giving credit where credit is due and making sure to outline any specific good or bad points.

4 - Price - This category will basically outline how much you should budget for a meal at each restaurant and then will go on to discuss the worth of the meal, whether it was worth the price paid.

Hopefully this will prove insightful.  I will update it after every new restaurant I go to.  I will try to get a picture of each meal, remember the prices and names of any exceptional staff, however I can be forgetful so apologies if I miss anything out. Enjoy and Bon Appetit!